It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 209 (Twenty-Fourth Chapter) | We Don't Understand the Mindset of Ruthless People

Just as Shang Ke was tirelessly directing the military police company to arrest suspicious individuals, Zhang Anyuan arrived in a hurried car.

The fact that the first meeting between the commander and deputy commander of the 8th Mechanized Infantry Division took place in such a way was truly laughable.

In terms of age, Zhang Anyuan, who is 36 years old, is Shang's elder brother and has the same military rank. However, in terms of position, Zhang Anyuan is indeed Shang's deputy.

By this time, Mr. Shang had already turned the Baima Town military station into chaos, especially the account books stored in the archives, which were being guarded by two military police squads on rotation, and a fire truck was even parked downstairs in the office building.

Accidental fire? Prevent it at the source!
Although the stories of "imperial envoys investigating cases and burning down granaries" are mostly jokes, one should still be cautious and always be wary of others.

As we all know, reconciliation is a very troublesome thing. There are piles and piles of ledgers that are definitely not clear in a short time, so they are temporarily sealed up and kept as evidence.

As for witnesses, Kong Quan and some officers and soldiers at the oil depot were all arrested and detained. More than ten people gathered around a truck, with several armored reconnaissance vehicles nearby, and were thus surrounded by soldiers.

Zhang Anyuan found Shang Ke, saluted, and said, "I am Zhang Anyuan, Commander, this is..."

"Oh? Deputy Division Commander Zhang is here?" The latter pointed casually and said nonchalantly, "Didn't we just deal with a few parasites?"

Zhang Anyuan thought to himself that this matter was not so simple. Kong Quan was from the Kong family of Jiangzhe. Although he was said to be just an illegitimate son born to a dancer, they couldn't just act so recklessly.

When Zhang Anyuan learned that the division commander assigned by the General Headquarters was a colonel who was not yet thirty, his feelings went from disbelief to calmness. He naturally assumed that the General Headquarters' arrangement must have been well thought out.

After learning about Shang's "glorious" deeds, he felt relieved, knowing that the General Headquarters had not acted recklessly.

Yesterday he was still wondering what kind of trouble this extraordinary new official, Shang, would cause upon taking office, but today he has already led his troops to storm into the friendly forces' camp to arrest people.

Sigh! Is this what a ruthless person is like? We ordinary people really can't understand the mindset of a ruthless person.

So Zhang Anyuan explained in a low voice, "Commander, we are in the wrong. If this gets out of hand, it will be quite troublesome."

Zhang Anyuan's intentions were good, but it was already a big taboo to open the "special ammunition" and mobilize troops without authorization when there was no urgent situation. Moreover, he went directly to the friendly army's supply station to arrest people without consulting his superiors. What's worse, the people he arrested were powerful and influential young men.

After all this commotion, it's hard to guarantee that he won't get himself into trouble, so Zhang Anyuan felt that Shang was really audacious.

Shang Ke hesitated for a moment, then chuckled, patted the holster on his belt, and calmly said, "Even if I skip all the procedures now and just shoot him, he'll only spend a month or two in a military prison at most. Do you believe me?"

Zhang Anyuan was speechless now, knowing he couldn't persuade him, so he simply let him do as he pleased.

As the sun set, the sudden arrest operation came to a successful conclusion.

Most of the military police company and the first company of the armored reconnaissance battalion remained at the supply depot, while a few escorted the suspect and Shang Ke and others back to the division headquarters.

Upon arriving at the division headquarters, Shang Ke began to leisurely report the situation to the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Military Region Command, and then directly made a phone call to the capital.

In any case, let's get a word with the old commander first.

After several transfers, the call finally reached the Capital Garrison Command.

"Hello? Commander? It's me." "What is it?"

Shang Ke still referred to Ding Shu as his teacher, and then truthfully recounted what had happened that day.

Upon learning of this, Ding Shu was visibly stunned, his reaction a mixture of surprise, speechlessness, and a wry smile.

He had previously told Zhang Anyuan that even if he shot Kong Quan and the others on the spot, he would only be imprisoned for half a month at most. This was somewhat of an exaggeration, so Shang Ke asked somewhat nervously, "Commander, what is the background of that Kong family? Can I handle them?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a few laughs. Finally, the tone shifted abruptly, and the reply became irritating: "They've got quite a powerful backer! As for whether you can handle them... aren't you someone who can't tolerate anything? You'd better figure it out yourself!"

With his old superior saying that, Shang Ke felt relieved.

In the broader context, Shank knew that the upper echelons of the ruling government were rigorously rectifying the internal discipline of the National Defense Forces, so even if he was indeed a bit reckless today, it was in line with the general trend and shouldn't be a big problem.

This story begins last year. In the winter of last year, a very embarrassing incident was exposed in the 33rd Division.

The training section chief of the 33rd Division colluded with several officers from the division's engineering and communications units to illegally transfer troops to contract civilian engineering projects for more than a year, enriching themselves in the process.

Soldiers and officers of a dignified infantry division of the National Defense Army were actually doing house building work, or installing telephones and laying wires, which was equivalent to working for their superiors for free.

This incident had a terrible impact, and the president was very angry.

First, executing a few people was a minor matter, but the major event that followed was a massive overhaul of the National Defense Force, which severely cracked down on all violations of the National Defense Force's regulations, especially those involving business.

Shang Ke thought this might not be a bad thing.

The Great Unified Federation has not yet entered the war. The saying goes, "Clean the house before inviting guests to dinner." It would be most appropriate to first resolve the country's problems one by one before entering the total war in the best possible condition.

"What are you all standing there for? Cheers!"

The welcoming ceremony, originally scheduled for the afternoon, was postponed to the evening because of this incident.

Three round tables, three hot pot stoves, and only about ten people in total.

The atmosphere was a bit strange. A group of mid- to high-ranking military officers seemed a little uneasy. To be honest, everyone was 'frightened' by Shang's series of actions.

Compared to officers who came from front-line command, Chief of Staff Huang Chen, being an academic, retained more of a meticulous spirit, so Shang's behavior was actually quite to his liking.

He glanced at everyone, picked up his glass first, and said, "Why are you all so shy? Well then, let me toast our teacher first."

"You're too kind." With a smile, Shang Ke looked at everyone, slowed down his speech slightly, and said modestly, "You all have more years of military service than I, Shang Ke. In terms of rank, I am only a colonel. It's a bit of a stretch for me to take on the role of commander of this division."

Then, he changed the subject and said calmly, "However, since it is an order from the General Headquarters, I, Shang, can only reluctantly comply under military command. Fortunately, I am quite intelligent, have a relevant military major, and some combat experience, so I should be capable of taking on this responsibility. We can discuss issues more often and speak frankly. Guidance is welcome. But if war breaks out, I hope you will remember the order of rank. I do not have subordinates who disobey orders!"

(End of this chapter)